Detox and Induction on Vivitrol: Q&A with William Jacobs, MD
1. After you evaluate a heroin addict, what are the next steps for stabilization and detoxification in a residential setting? How would you do this safely in an outpatient setting? Next steps after a good addiction history, including any previously prescribed or unprescribed exposure to buprenorphine, would be to do drug testing which now includes screening for fentanyl as we are seeing that in nearly all “heroin” addicts. Afterward, a detailed medical and psychiatric assessment is performed. If the decision is made to transition to depo-naltrexone for withdrawal management in a residential setting, we use maximum tolerated doses of clonidine [...]
Runner’s High: It’s Real and Can Help People in Recovery Stay Sober
The benefits of exercise are well known and well accepted. A mountain of evidence shows that physical activity improves heart and circulatory health, strengthens muscles and boosts the mood. Exercise therapy also helps prevent some of the signs of aging, from warding off cognitive declines to boosting bone health. Exercise Therapy and Its Benefits Exercise is good for so many aspects of health – including recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Research shows exercise therapy for people in treatment for alcohol and drug abuse not only helps people regain their strength and fitness, but can reduce relapse by: Reducing withdrawal [...]
Relapse Happens. Here’s How to Get Back on Track.
Relapse is, for many people, a part of living in recovery from addiction. The chronic nature of addictive disease means that the threat of relapse is always there. Relapse can be terrifying. It can make you feel ashamed and angry. But it's important to know that if you have relapsed, it doesn't mean that all the work you've done in addiction treatment is lost, or that you're back to square one. Relapse rates for addiction are similar to other chronic medical illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. If you've started using [...]
Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction
Prescription opioids such as oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin) and fentanyl, along with illegal opioids like heroin, are among the most addictive drugs on the planet. Brain imaging studies show that the misuse of these drugs causes physical changes in areas of the brain critical to judgment, decision-making, learning, memory and behavioral control. These changes literally hijack the brain, altering the way it works and leading to compulsive, self-destructive behavior. There's no getting around it – breaking free of opioids once someone is addicted is a tough battle. But it can be done, and there are treatments proven to help. Medication-assisted [...]
Recovery Counselors Lead by Example
To really understand what it's like to deal with the daily injections and skin pricks that come with Type 1 diabetes, or how it feels to experience the world with autism or depression, it helps to have walked a mile in that person's shoes. The same is true for addiction. At Bluff, recovery counselors draw from their personal experience with addiction and recovery to help patients set goals, develop the life skills necessary for healthy relationships and productive careers, and assist with overcoming barriers to recovery. Recovery counselors also offer encouragement and inspiration from a place of deep understanding and [...]
How to Avoid Fumbling Your Recovery During the Super Bowl
Super Bowl Sunday is one of the most-watched sporting events of the year, a day when millions of Americans get comfy on the couch, break out the nachos and spend the day cheering (or jeering) the action on the screen. The big game also means Super Bowl parties. Whether the gathering is in someone's home or in a bar, there's a good chance there will be a lot of beer and liquor flowing – potentially triggering for those in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. Here's how to avoid fumbling your recovery on Super Bowl Sunday. Prepare for all of [...]
Don’t Wait to Start Your Recovery
With the holidays rapidly approaching, people struggling with addiction often decide to wait to start treatment until January. We urge anyone with a drug or alcohol problem not to delay. There are so many deadly drugs in circulation today – and those drugs don't care what day of the year it is. Overdoses happen just as often on Christmas as they do other days of the year. If you or someone you care about is on the fence about when to start, here are five reasons to say yes to addiction treatment during the holidays. The holidays can be hard [...]
Lucky the Horse Saved from Slaughter by Bluff
Every year, thousands of U.S. horses are sent to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico, according to animal welfare organizations. Lucky the horse was bound for a similar fate. Set to be sold at 17 cents a pound, "Lucky seemed like he had given up on life,” said Dale Phillips, Bluff's equine therapist. "He was just done. He had no expression whatsoever. He didn't whine at feeding time. He just stood there." The feeling of having given up – or been given up on – is one that many people struggling with substance use have felt. So Phillips adopted the horse, [...]
Ketamine: A Promising New Hope for Depression?
Depression is the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting more than 16 million people.
Treating Addiction and Other Medical Conditions with The Medical College of Georgia
https://youtu.be/5SLgZLWQxME Patients seeking treatment for drug addiction or alcohol treatment for abuse at Bluff often have co-occurring mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar or post-traumatic stress disorder. Many also have other chronic physical conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes, that are common among the general population too. “Patients with drug and alcohol problems don’t just have drug and alcohol problems. They have other co-occurring psychiatric problems as the rule rather than the exception,” explains Dr. Jacobs. “They also have multiple medical problems, some of them directly related to their addiction. Others they may just have, like hypertension or diabetes, that have [...]
